A Real Good Life
by TheWayThingsCouldBe
Summary: After Ennis's divorce, Jack goes to him expecting open arms. When Jack is turned down he finds solace in a younger female co worker and learns that only Ennis can complete the part of him that he had been missing for all of these years.
1. Sorting Things Out

_This is my first attempt at Brokeback Mountain fic. It's rated M for mature content, so kiddies, beware.  
_

_The idea for this alternate version of BBM comes from what went through my head the first time I saw the scene in which Alma witnesses the reunion kiss between Jack & Ennis. I've inserted a female character who comes in and spices things up even more.You'll figure out what that means as you read._

_Firstly, I do not claim to own Brokeback Mountain or any of it's wonderful characters. I do, however, own Ada Delaval. You'll meet her in a moment if you decide to read this._

_Also, while there may be evidence to the contrary, this story in essense, to me at least, is about finding out what true love is about. It's the love story of Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, even when it might not seem so._

_I'm also a sucker for happy endings (that's right, there's a happy ending)_

_So! Please leave comments if you love it or like it or hate it or if you were completely indifferent. I want to know what you think!_

_And finally, I dedicate this to all that inspired me. Thanks _dcmcintoshx_ for writing such wonderful Brokeback Mountain stories. I also found random inspiration in_ October Sky, The Day After Tomorrow, Donnie Darko, _and for some reason_ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. _I also dedicate this to Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger for being the perfect Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar._

_Enough of this nonsense... read my story!_

* * *

Jack sighed and smiled slowly, his eyes falling closed as he rested his head on the door into his wife's office, deep in thought. He wrapped his hand slowly around the cool metal doorknob, stopping just before opening the door, contemplating what he would say as soon as he walked on through. 

He had just now received news of Ennis's divorce. It had been official on Thursday. Ennis had probably already moved on into a new place, it didn't say on the card. Jack was going to visit and find him soon, this weekend if he could.

This was his chance. They could have a real good life together. A real good life. And they would. He knew it. Jack and Ennis, together at long last. Nothing holding them back except maybe Jack's marriage- a marriage that had died off before it ever really started.

The thought should've been enough to drive him to go through with this, but it wasn't. He almost turned back, wondering whether all of this, the disappointment he had repeatedly faced and the continual denial of his love, would ever really be worth it. He just had to think about Brokeback for a half a second to convince himself.

* * *

_Jack has his eyes closed. He's had them that way for hours, he guesses, now, but sleep has not yet fallen upon him. His eyelids grow heavier and heavier but sleep just won't come. It's cold. Damned cold. The blanket he huddles and shivers beneath makes him itch, but he doesn't even notice that anymore. _

_He can't sleep. Because it's damned cold. Because Ennis is miserable outside even with the cover of Jack's second blanket. Because Ennis's suffering shouldn't bother him this much, but it does, and because sometimes he thinks about Ennis in a way that he knows ain't right._

_Ennis makes another audible shudder. Jack can't stand it anymore. He doesn't mind the noise but he's as miserable as the shivering man outside._

_He peeks out at Ennis once, then again. The fire is dying out. Jack has had enough._

"_Ennis!" he shouts, "Just quit your yammerin' and get in here!"_

_Ennis obliges, half-asleep and freezing. He grabs his blanket and knocks over just about the whole damned cooking station they've set up on his way to the tent. Jack knows he doesn't care, he's probably just glad to get out of the cold._

_Ennis lets in a gust of cold air when he opens the tent flap, but as soon as he's all the way in and settled down behind Jack all of the cold melts away._

_Jack almost immediately hears Ennis softly snoring behind him. He feels better now. The sound lulls him into a sound sleep just as quickly._

_They sleep for a short while in peace. Jack dreams of Ennis, leaning in, facing Jack. Their foreheads meet and the lock eyes before Ennis takes Jack's hand. _

"_I can't," Jack says but without a word Ennis makes it clear that his insistence is otherwise and their lips meet._

_Jack is violently woken when Ennis jumps behind him. Jack realizes in less than a second that Ennis's hand is inside of his pants and he has a certain awareness that Ennis wasn't the one who put it there._

_Ennis isn't sure, but Jack can see it in his eyes, even in the dark, that he wants this as badly as Jack does. The memory of his dream is fading. He can't survive on the dream. He needs it to be realized._

_Ennis pushes him away when Jack draws him close but Ennis is tempted, oh he's tempted. Jack undresses, first his jacket, then the pants, and when Ennis unzips his own jeans and begins to fulfill that wondrous dream, Jack knows, he finally knows, that he's not alone…  
_

* * *

The memory gave Jack a renewed sense of confidence. He knew, now, precisely what he would tell his wife when he entered the door... He turned the knob, pushed the door open and stepped on inside. 

"Jack," Lureen called to him before he could get in a single word. She kept click-clacking away at her adding machine with a pen, not even looking up from her work to speak to him. "Daddy says you haven't been sellin' as much as he'd like."

"I…" he started but he couldn't stick to it. He could deal with this later, he reckoned. "Dammit, Lureen, I try, I really do," he addressed her, his mind still elsewhere but she didn't notice. "It's the market right now. Everybody who needs a tractor's already got one, it ain't my fault."

"Well, Daddy's already hired somebody to help you."

"Another salesman?" Jack asked, the hope in his heart ringing evident in his voice. Immediately he believed it would be Ennis, that in just a second he'd walk through that door. He wouldn't say much, but he'd know- they'd both know- and even in silence they would be able to tell each other that it was time. Soon they could sneak off and go someplace far, far away where they wouldn't have to ever bother with all of this nonsense again.

"Don't sound so excited…" she glanced at him oddly. "Not a man, Jack, a woman. Daddy's trying this new selling scheme. Luring the men in to buy new combines with a pretty girl, you know the game."

"Hell…" Jack looked around as something in him died. "I don't need no help."

"It ain't my choice, Jack," she responded. "She'll be here in just a bit. She's nice, you'll like her."

"Hell I will…" he left the room in a hurry, disappointed he hadn't yet mustered up the courage to break it off with Lureen. Maybe this was best.

When the time was right he would just take off without a word.

There wasn't even any guarantee that Ennis was ready to finally be with him. Jack knew it was time but he still had to be careful.

He was ready to take off but a girl was standing just outside the door, looking like she was ready to walk into the office. She was small and slender with fair skin, a round nose, pouty lips. She stood at least a head shorter than Jack.

But what Jack noticed first about her were the eyes. They were dark but bright too somehow, a brightness only accentuated by the raven-colored hair that draped her shoulders and the long eyelashes that flitted above the chocolate pools that were her eyes.

He was silent for a moment. "So you're the new help, huh?" he asked afterward, still a little fired up that Mr. Newsome didn't think he was capable of doing his job, but curious all the same.

"Uh, yessir," she replied.

"Well my name is Jack Twist, but I guess you know that already," he said, extending a hand to shake. She grabbed the ends of his fingers and gave them an abrupt shake, her gaze averted. Quickly her hands were back to being crossed in front of her, fidgeting.

"I'm Ada," she started, and then a few moments later when she noticed that he seemed to be waiting for her to finish she briskly added, "Delaval." She looked younger than he was. Maybe 25. Jack pushed the thought aside in her mind. Her age wasn't important. He wondered why he was lingering on the question for as long as he was, though it was only a few moments.

"Well I'm very glad to meet you Ada Delaval. Id've assumed you met my wife?" She nodded. "Well then let's get to the tractors." He paused. "Do you know anything about tractors?"

"No sir," she answered.

"Do you have any experience selling anything?"

"I've worked in a convenience store," she suggested, with full knowledge this job would require a completely different skill set.

He laughed a little. "How in the hell did you get this job?" he said quietly to himself. But not quietly enough, apparently, because she heard.

"I'm not sure," she said, smiling a tiny bit in response. "I don't know nothing about any of this."

"Mr. Newsome probably hired you because you're pretty," he said, not sure if he was being blunt of humorous, but he was telling the truth. He thought after a moment that it wasn't really her that he was taken with. Something about her reminded him of Ennis.

The blush was apparent against her white face. She was silent again for a while and then "You're very handsome," was all she could think of to reply.

"Well thank you," he laughed. Maybe he was a little taken with her. But he was distracted. He couldn't wait until he was off of work for the weekend and he could go see Ennis. "Well, you should really get to learn the basics…"

Jack placed a hand over the girl's shoulder and led her out towards the front. She followed with small, timid steps, apparently nervous for her first day on the job. They pulled their respective heavy coats off of a rack near the door to combat the November chill.

Lureen saw them walk outside through the wide window next to her desk. Jack had a smile on his face now that she seldom saw anymore, a smile that was common when they were young and in love but returned only once in a rare while now. Usually he only grinned like this when he got back from those fishing and hunting trips he went on with his buddies once or twice a year. Something was up.

Ada and Jack couldn't feel her scathing stare as they opened the front doors and stepped outside into the wide lot in which the tractors were parked.

* * *

He had been waiting to leave for Ennis's since Wednesday. He thought he was going to explode with the anticipation, but nope, he'd survived. 

"I'm leaving for the weekend," Jack announced to his wife. He was in a hurry, taking off with his hat in one hand and a suitcase in the other. He had grown more and more excited each day. The fact that Lureen hadn't noticed was a testament to how far they had grown apart.

"Where do you think you're goin'?"

"Fishin' with Ennis," he grinned. "And the rest," he added as an afterthought, trying to prevent any suspicions his wife may have had.

She sighed. "Jack, we didn't agree to this. You always leave without a moment's notice, and you know we need someone to man the shop."

"Doesn't have to be a man to man the shop… You've got Ada working here, don'cha? She's making real good progress…"

"Daddy gave her a break for the next four days…"

"Your father said _I_ could take the next four days off, Lureen, I don't know what in the hell he's trying to pull," he argued, but there was no anger in his voice. He knew what he was doing and nothing Lureen said could change his mind.

"You can't leave, Jack, I don't want to have to call Ada in…" she hissed. He simply turned around left without another word, a huge white grin on his face.

* * *

"I'm sure as hell sorry, you know I am," Ennis told Jack in his usual low grumble. The words that were spilling from his mouth now were dead. He gave Jack his excuse for why they couldn't be together yet but Jack didn't hear a word of it. He hadn't prepared himself for this and it overwhelmed him. 

When a white truck passed in the road he gladly turned to watch it drive by, welcoming any distraction from what was happening now. He had to convince himself that this wasn't happening, just until he was out of Ennis's sight. He didn't want to cry in front of him, especially not with his daughters here.

"Yeah, alright," Jack said, emotionless.

"Jack…" Ennis started to say something, but he couldn't finish it off.

"I'll see you next month then," Jack said, not hearing him, turning around back to his truck and slamming the door.

Jack tried to keep his composure as he drove off. _This ain't the end_ he told himself again and again but his mind kept drifting back to the possibility that Ennis and him weren't destined to be together after all. _A Love That Will Never Grow Old_ was playing on the radio. It didn't help.

He wiped the tears away even though no one was there to see him, afraid that someone he knew would catch him in such a state as he backed out of the dirt path.

_He's just copin' Jack told himself. Just give him some time… he'll come through for you. He loves you._

He was able to smile a little through the tears when he thought of how things would be someday, how maybe he could go back home with Ennis and bring that shithole of a ranch back to life. Things would be good then. Wouldn't be anything in the world to bother 'em.

Maybe.

But what if Ennis didn't want this bad enough? Maybe Ennis didn't love him the way Jack loved Ennis. Maybe Ennis didn't love him anymore at all. Why did he push Jack away? This was their golden chance and it had rolled over and died in a minute

He almost considered going to Mexico… He needed to be held, to be loved in even the most shallow of ways. He just needed to persuade himself that someone cared. Just for a moment.

Something in his heart helped him decide against it, but still the drive home was a long one.

* * *

Jack could see Lureen talking on the phone when he walked in. When she saw him she said something and promptly hung up the phone. 

"Back from your trip so soon, hon'?" Lureen asked when she was finished with the phone. He'd only been gone for a day. The tears had stopped hours ago but the hurt was still clear as crystal in his expression. "What's wrong?"

"My old pal is real sick," he lied. "Trip's been cancelled."

"Well that's a shame," she said. "But good news for us. We need someone out there sellin'."

"I thought you said you'd be callin' Ada in."

"We let her have time off," she explained. "And now you're here."

"I guess I better get out there then," he said, walking over and giving her a kiss. He needed to be comforted now, to _feel _something. She wasn't expecting it though, and the kiss she returned was quick and unfeeling.

It didn't make him feel any better. He pulled back and turned around, cursing under his breath with a weak frustration, before he got to work.

"This is our newest model… "Jack was somberly explaining to the day's only customer in the frigid cold when he saw Ada's truck pull up at the end of the parking lot in the distance. It had only been a few hours since he had gotten home and he was surprised to see her here, seeing as she was supposed to have the next few days off of work.

His heart leapt when he saw her. He tried to control it, but it was impossible.

Jack finished up his explanation of the combine he was attempting to sell, but the stout man he was trying to sell to wasn't interested. "Already got one," he explained. "I'm just lookin' at the new models."

"Well, thanks for comin' in here anyway," Jack tipped his hat as the man walked off and leaned up against the tractor. Ada had been standing silently in the distance the whole time, but now she approached him.

"Hi," she said when she was close enough to Jack for him to hear her soft voice when she spoke. He leaned in even closer to hear.

"Howdy, Ada," he said, the despair still unmistakable in his voice. "Hey, weren't you supposed to be gone all this weekend?"

"Well, you were too," she responded, walking in next to the combine and leaning in, facing out in the same direction as Jack. She gazed at him.

"I guess," he commented, looking away. Then he realized something. "Hey, how'd you know I was supposed to be gone?" He turned his head back to face him.

"Lureen called me at home," she said, mildly flustered. "She was telling me I needed to come in, but then you came and she told me to never mind."

She paused. "Jack, is everything okay? You're lookin' a little drawn."

"I… I was just really looking forward to this trip this weekend and now it's been blown."

"Why's that?" she asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"My buddy Ennis…" he started, searching for a way to explain, "He's just not feeling up to a trip I guess." He felt like he couldn't lie to Ada, for some reason. Skirting the truth would work just as well for his purposes.

"I'm sorry," she said, silent, looking down at her feet.

"Well, if you wanna work, I'm sure Lureen can find something for you to do… there's no work out here for you right now," Jack finally said after a moment's silence, still far off.

"I'm not working today," she said.

"Then… why'd you come here?" he asked.

She peeked around the corner of the giant combine they were standing behind and realized they were completely out of Lureen's view. "I just kind of… wanted to speak to you was all," she said looking up at him. Her dark eyes met his.

She got up on her toes and kissed him. He closed his eyes, half-surprised, half-suspecting that this would happen all along. He could have pushed her away, convincing himself it was because he was being faithful- to his wife or Ennis he never would know- but he didn't. He kissed her just as tenderly in return.

The touch of her lips softened the pain of Ennis's slighting. She wrapped her arms around him in what felt much more like a caring embrace than anything sexual- it surprised him too, but it somehow reassured him.

The embrace ended and Jack smiled softly. He knew that Lureen couldn't see them now but he almost wished that she could. Maybe then she would realize how she had treated him for all these years, maybe she could come to the realization that this was what she had driven him to. Ada noticed a tear in his eye but knew not to say anything about it.

"Jack," she sighed quietly, her deep eyes looking up at him again, "will you…come see me tonight?" There was something in her voice that was pleading for him.

He begged for her too, now. His body and mind needed to be consoled and she was there for him. That's all this was, he told himself over and over again.

"I will," he nodded and her odd smile grew, "but get outta here, Lureen shouldn't see us together."

"What will you tell her?" Ada asked as she pulled away a little, getting ready to leave, shooting nervous glances at the building in which Lureen was probably chatting away on the phone.

"I'll say I'm going out to the bar… probably won't even need to tell her. I go every night," he said, sounding a little pitiful, but the thought of being with her dulled the grief within him. "I get off at 7 o'clock. Where's your place?"

She recounted her address and gave him directions. "I'll be waiting for you," she trembled and touched his hand before she left.

As he saw her get into her car and drive off slowly he wondered if he was doing the right thing.

He didn't feel anything for her, he told himself. She was just here at the right place, at the right time, and she was willing to be there for him.

Maybe he was using her, but he didn't care. He was comforted by the fact that anyone wanted to wrap their arms around him and make him feel that he wasn't alone, that he wasn't as detestable and unwanted as he felt when Ennis turned him away.

* * *

Jack made himself busy for the next few hours, but no one came. The hours dragged on and on. At least if the place had a customer he'd have something to do, but without any business he didn't think 7 o'clock would ever come. 

After what seemed like an eternity, though, it did. He almost ran to the truck, turning the key in the ignition, pedal to the floor and drove off in the direction of Ada's place.

When he got there he left the car quickly. As he approached the front door it opened slowly from the inside. Ada had been waiting for him.

He leapt in to kiss her as he entered the door. It caught her a little off guard, but she agreed and kissed him back. His fervor frightened her somewhat. He wanted this too badly, and she understood soon that this wasn't out of love or even attraction to her but something outside of either of their control.

Soon they were in the bedroom and they were both on the bed. He was kneeling above her, kissing her, translating his frustration into passion with his eyes closed, losing himself in the moment of fiery ardor. He didn't even stop as he was attempting to unbutton his shirt with one hand as he used the other to support himself.

With a bit of trouble he finally got the shirt off of himself and tossed it to the side of the bed. He was beginning with the pants but he felt her soft hand across his wrist, stopping him.

He thought maybe she was caught up in the moment, that she would be the one to undo his belt and remove his jeans, but instead she whispered softly to him, "Jack, stoppit… I can't."

"You can," he shook his head, placing his lips on hers as she tried to speak again.

She gently pushed him away. A rush of rejection fell over Jack yet again. Again he had been discarded, thrown at the wayside. Alone.

"Jack," she whispered, looking disgusted with herself. "I… this is wrong, this is all wrong."

Jack cursed under his breath and got off of the bed, fixing his pants, picking his shirt up off of the floor. "Of course it is," he said, cross with himself for falling into this. "Of course."

"No, Jack, you don't understand," she said, getting up and taking his hand. He turned away and pulled his hand back, not wishing to see her again.

"I think I understand pretty well," he said.

"No… Jack, I…" she couldn't bring herself to say it until she composed herself. "I've been paid to seduce you."

She gave him a look like this was supposed to make him feel better. He glared.

"Mr. Newsome," she went on to explain, "he knows you don't love your wife and… he sent me to spy on you. He wanted me to sleep with you so he'd have some reason to get rid of you…"

Jack looked like he was sick. Here was someone he had trusted, someone he was about to give himself to, and it had all been a scheme.

"But… dammit, Jack, I won't let him do that to you," she was sobbing a bit now, horrified at the thought of him hating her. The look of loathing in his eyes softened when he saw how torn and disconcerted she was now, but it didn't change what she had done.

"I'm not telling him a thing… I'll cover for you, Jack. Just… don't hate me, okay?" she begged.

"I can't promise that," he shook his head, confused and hurt but at the same time indebted to this beautiful girl. Her lip quavered and she turned away. "But I'll try," she looked back up at him. Hope glimmered in her dark eyes.

He turned around and, not saying a word, left the dark house toward home.

* * *

"It's a damned _great_ plan, if I do say so myself," Mr. Newsome told the man sitting next to him in a crowded, rowdy bar near home. 

"And so when this girl tells you she's finally slept with 'im," the other man replied, "then you're going to… tell your daughter?"

"More than that," Mr. Newsome gave a hearty laugh, "I'd _pay_ that sonofawhore to get away from her. If he's cheatin'… it's enough to tell me he don't really care about Lureen. That boy's no good at all. I'll give him enough money he'll be able to go away and I'll never have to see his scrawny ass again, and then Lureen can find a real man who'll make us all proud."

"But what if she can't get 'im?" the man asked, sounding intrigued. On the inside, though, he felt like this was a rather cruel trick. He took a sip of his own beer.

"Ha!" Newsome gave a chuckle. "See, this is where my plan get's even more interesting…" He turned to the other man expecting a curious glance but was disappointed to see that he wasn't even looking at him.

"I know that the bastards cheatin' on her, that I know for certain," and he took a swig from his mug. "Don't ask me how, but I know."

"So it's just a matter of time before he accepts this girl's advances?" the man asked.

"Not quite," Newsome laughed, now with a hint of revulsion in his enthusiastic guffaw. "Y'see, Jack goes off a few times a year to go see a friend of his," the man listened intently now. "This 'Ennis Del Mar.' I've been checking out these postcards he's been gettin,' seems like there's a little more going on that he's been telling us."

"You mean, he's…" the man started.

"I think he's a fuckin' queer," Newsome chortled again, "and if he doesn't sleep with this girl, she's damned pretty-beautiful even, then it'll prove it. And then when everybody finds out… well, bye-bye Jack."

"You're right," the other man returned. "Damned good plan. Couldn't have thought of a better plan myself." But inside he was disgusted.

"Damned right," Newsome grinned and downed the last of his beer. "Glad you think so too. You seem like a smart fella. I've always liked you." He paused. "Now excuse me, Randall, I've got some business to attend to."

"Yes sir, Mr. Newsome," Randall Malone replied, suddenly very interested in the prospect of Jack Twist.

* * *

The next few days of work Ada did not come in. When she finally returned at the end of her four days, she had a bullshit story about visiting her sick aunt in Oklahoma prepared. Lureen bought it, nodding slightly when Ada explained, not looking up from her work. 

Jack had actually sold a couple of combines while Ada had been away. A few men had come in asking for "the dark-haired girl," but when Jack told them that she was away they didn't take off right away and Jack had some time to give them his sales pitch.

Jack wondered whether what Lureen had said was true at all- that Ada had been hired to bring the men to the dealer like moths to a glowing porch light- because it sure seemed to be working.

Moreover when she walked over to Jack, keeping her hands and lips to herself but smiling graciously at him, he realized that he couldn't hate the girl. He was still angry, that would last for a while and he didn't know what she could do that would ever make him forgive her completely, but her smile still reassured him. When he got back to work shortly after her arrival, not greeting her, she frowned.

Despite what she had done he still felt like this was someone he could trust. She could have gone through with it, not told him anything, and then his life would be over. He'd lose his wife, his job, he'd never see Bobby anymore…

What would he do then?

_But isn't that exactly what you want?_ he asked himself. Wasn't it? Didn't he want all of this to be through, didn't he just want Ennis? Just true love?

He didn't know what he wanted anymore.

But she hadn't betrayed him. She had kept quiet. That was worth something.

"Ada… thank you for being honest with me," he said, running up to her after he felt like he was being cold to her all morning.

"It's just what I had to do," she told him.

"No- you didn't. You could've kept quiet and you could've collected whatever reward you'd be gettin' for it. But you didn't. So thanks."

She nodded at him and then stood around again like she always did. There wasn't much for them to do here right now.

Finally two pickup trucks, one white, the other black, drove into the lot. Immediately Jack recognized the black truck as his father-in-law's and groaned a little in annoyance.

Ada and Jack walked over to greet Newsome and the man who was now exiting the white truck. Ada stuck out a hand to greet the stranger who hurriedly shook it and then turned away.

"Hello, Jack, this is a friend of mine, his name is Randall Malone. Randall, meet Jack. Jack, meet Randall"

"Pleased to meet you Randall," Jack said as they shook hands. The handshake seemed to go on for a second too long.

"Randall," Newsome began, "is a local rancher. Old family friends. Jack, why don't you get to know him a little better?" He stopped. "Ada, can I speak to you for a second? Privately?"

"Sure thing, boss," she said and walked out to a distance where they weren't within earshot of the two men who were getting to know each other very superficially with a conversation about the weather.

"Ada," L.D. Newsome questioned, "have you… been with him yet?" he tried to keep a certain amount of modesty around the girl, despite what he was asking her to do.

"Well, no," she said, half-truthfully. "But," she added, sensing that Newsome had some other crazy notion up his sleeve, "I know I'm close. I think he… really loves Lureen and that he ain't willing to be unfaithful to her," she lied through her teeth, knowing that somehow this might protect him.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Newsome asked, baffled.

"I'm sure," she nodded enthusiastically. She looked over at Jack and Randall. "What's this guy doing here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to get him introduced to Lureen," he said. "He might not seem it, but he's worth something. Family's got a lot of value."

"Right," Ada said as Newsome rejoined the group. After a moment he was taking Randall into the building to meet Lureen.

Jack got back to strolling around, checking each tractor to see that it was in top shape, going over a quality checklist that he had memorized in the years working here.

Ada merely stood and watched from far away, for some reason mesmerized by this man. Whenever she was spoke with him she was taken aback by how handsome he was, and yet few around him really seemed to notice, his wife least of all.

She had seen the way the Twists interacted. Lureen was always cold and far away, caring much more for her business than for Jack, who it seemed had really cared for her once but no longer could hold his end of such a one-sided marriage.

But Jack was strikingly attractive, sensitive, funny, and very, very nice- how could his wife not love him? If he had been unfaithful to Lureen in the past, Ada didn't blame him a bit.

She wondered as she watched him bend over to examine the tires on a large combine, admiring his backside through his jeans.

She turned away soon, a bit ashamed of herself. She was upset with herself for accepting to help with Mr. Newsome's plot. It was horrible. She had expected Jack Twist to be as worthless as Newsome had described him to be, but in the few days she had known him he had demonstrated himself to be a great man.

She was ashamed. She was no better than a whore, now. Her whole life she had been just the eldest daughter of the poor but respectable owner of a little market on the edge of town, stocking shelves and working the register. At a glance Mr. Newsome had pinned her as the perfect girl for this conspiracy.

She hated herself for agreeing to it. She needed the money, she had four younger brothers and sisters that needed supporting and her mother had passed away the year before, but she could scrounge by without it if she needed to. At times she wished she had refused him.

But at the same time she wouldn't trade her choice for anything. She would never have met Jack otherwise, and that might be an even worse fate. Not that they could ever really have any life together or that things would ever work out between them, but he made her feel like she never had before with just a kiss.

She turned her eyes back to him and watched him as he worked. She thought that maybe, just maybe, she loved him. She wished she could say Jack felt that way about her.

* * *

Mr. Newsome left without saying goodbye to Jack or Ada and soon Randall's white truck was parked alone at the end of the lot. 

"May I speak to you in private for a second?" Randall said when he exited the building, motioning back toward it. Jack had his trepidations but agreed. He walked Randall into the building, then into the tiny office that was supposed to be all his but he now shared with the girl who was standing all alone now outside.

"Have a seat," Jack motioned to the chair at one end of his desk. Randall sat down and Jack took his own seat on the other end of the desk. He clasped his hands together on the desk in front of him.

"So…" Jack prompted when the man didn't say anything right away.

"I… I think that Mr. Newsome is trying to set you up," he said slowly, deliberately. "That pretty little thing outside… don't trust her. He's tryin' to set you up…"

Jack already knew all of this. He interrupted Randall mid-sentence. "I'm really not interested in any of this…"

Randall placed a hand across Jack's. There was a sudden realization in Jack's eyes. He didn't pull away immediately.

"Jack… I _know_," Randall said, his voice now a low whisper, he gazed into Jack's eyes. "and Newsome knows too, you're not safe."

Jack pulled his hands back now and broke eye contact with the man in front of him. The way Randall was looking at him now said everything. If this had come the day he saw Ennis instead of Ada's advances he would have gladly taken this man into his arms.

But his new friendship with Ada had taught him something, he thought. A week ago he would have loved to be beneath another man-thinking about being touched that way again made him dizzy- but he realized something now.

It wasn't just a man's touch he needed, but Ennis's. Only someone he loved would make him feel whole again, whether that be a man or a woman.

And although he felt something for Ada- felt a lot of something for her- he knew her love was not what he needed to complete himself. There was only one that he loved, and that one was Ennis.

"Look, I know you're tryin' to help me," Jack finally said to Randall, more calmly than he thought he would be able to say it, "but honestly, you've got me all wrong. I'm not interested."

Jack thought that maybe he had let Randall touch his hand for too long, that with that long glimpse through Jack's clear, blue eyes that he'd let Randall see into his soul and realize the truth, but when Randall pulled away and repeated apologies under his breath Jack knew that he had been convinced.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Twist, I won't bother you again," he apologized again, now ashamed of himself. Jack couldn't help but feel awful for him.

He fumbled with the doorknob before Jack spoke again.

"Randall." The man turned around, still humiliated. Jack thought a long while about what he needed to say. "Never be ashamed of what you are," Jack told him, shaking his head, "even if people don't like it, even if people are scared of it. You are what you are. And people might want to hurt you for it… but what they don't know won't hurt 'em, people understand what they want to understand, and if you can find somebody and get away and be safe, then you go on and you do that."

Randall absorbed this, still wondering about Jack, before nodding in appreciation and slowly closing the door behind him as he stepped out.

* * *

The following days of work weren't quite as slow as before. Word was getting out about Ada and although a great number of the men who came to see her didn't end up buying, they did stick around for a while. 

Jack and Ada chuckled together at the sudden surge of customers in the moments they were alone. Over time they became friendlier, chatting when they could, going out for lunch. When Lureen was maintaining the lobby she would look outside, shooting stares at them like daggers while they laughed outside, oblivious.

Jack soon forgot how angry he had been with Ada for what she had done to him. As they became the best of friends, Ada fell more and more in love with him.

Mr. Newsome grew more frustrated each time Ada told him that she hadn't slept with him yet because he loved his wife too much, becoming more and more sure of what he had suspected early on. Ada, however, maintained that she was almost there and, to Mr. Newsome's dismay, their closeness seemed genuine each time he visited. The visits which grew more and more frequent as time passed.

He was beginning to suspect that maybe Ada was falling for Jack. Something else, though, told him that she was a smart girl and that he wouldn't fall for that good-for-nothing.

She was getting good at her job, too. She caught on quickly and Jack was surprised to see that she would be selling as much as he was if she was really trying.

"Why are you doing that?" he asked her one day after he had noticed this for the first time.

"Doing what?" she laughed.

"You do more explainin' then you need to… you draw out the process. And then sometimes you refer the guys to me if you see I ain't doing anything."

"Well if I sold more than you, it wouldn't be very good for your job, would it?" she grinned.

He just looked at her, stunned, and then changed the subject.

Ada always noticed that when Jack wasn't talking to her he always had this look like his mind was somewhere else.

Jack, even when he was spending a lot of time with Ada, was always thinking about Ennis and the thousand questions he wished he could ask him but never had the balls to.

He had written another postcard to Ennis a few days ago, desperate now for another meeting with him. He thought that maybe after a while his burning desire for Ennis would slowly fade with each passing day. Instead every day they were apart it grew harder for Jack to keep on living. He was lucky that every day his friendship with Ada grew stronger and the comfort she gave him grew to combat the mounting pain.

"Are you alright?" she asked him on a number of occasions when suddenly his eyes became unfocused and clearly his thoughts were distant.

"What?" he would always say when he shot back to here and now, a funny little smile across his face. "Oh, just thinking," he would reply and in her mind Ada would try to guess what it he had been thinking about that made him seem so happy. She liked to believe that he was daydreaming about her sometimes, but that was wishful thinking. She had other ideas of what it could be.

Today he was thinking that today might be the day we would receive Ennis's reply in the mail. Finally he would agree to run off with him, finally things would be good for him and all of this distress could be over with.

But the response he received when the postman came that afternoon was not what he expected. He stood behind his desk in his tiny office, breathing hard, as he began reading the note:

_Sorry Jack, can't take time off of work. I'll lose my job. Next time for sure. –Ennis_

Ada was walking by the door at the moment and was around to witness the reading. The enormous grin that Jack had been wearing for the last few days suddenly turned inward. His face contorted and he muffled sobs, turning away from the girl who had rushed inside and slammed the door behind her and was now embracing him, rocking him a little back and forth in an attempt to calm him, without an idea of what this could all be about.

"Shh…" she whispered as he tried to push her away. She held on tight, though, and it wasn't long before he stopped resisting and hugged her in return.

She held him, gently trailing her hand down his face, leaning her head into his heaving chest until the sobs subsided.

She didn't ask what was wrong -she could tell from the way he refused to look at her even while she held him that it was a personal matter. She wished that it was her business, that she felt she had the right to intrude, but she knew she did not.

Ada was sure, though, that he needed her now. She placed her hands up and around his neck and kissed him gently. He returned it just as softly at first, but his kiss grew more intense as he placed a hand behind her head, leaning inward.

There was an emptiness inside his heart now that needed to be filled, something that needed to be fed now by passion.

What he had here might never be love, but for a moment he knew he could convince himself.

Jack felt Ada's hands lower from his shoulders. They trailed down his chest, then around his waist, until finally they reached his jeans.

She wrapped her hands around his buttocks through his pants, pulling him in closer to herself until they touched. He moaned.

In another second they were both peeling off their shirts, breathing heavily in concert, bodies coming together through the clothing that remained on their now sweat-sprayed bodies.

Their bodies were soon free of the clothing that had been restricting them and, before realizing it, they were both on the softly carpeted floor, they both groaned quietly as he took swift, deep strokes within her with his eyes closed.

Ada mind wandered to a trip she had taken as a child, seeing the sea for the first time. The mounting pleasure was like the incoming waves as the tide changed from low to high. Immediately she was back here, relishing in this act as she got closer and closer to orgasm and her body bent into his.

She moaned out loud as she murmured, "I love you, Jack Twist," in his ear. Jack remained silent beside deep breaths and growls of pleasure, trying not to let what that really meant get into his head.

* * *

Lureen Twist strolled haughtily toward her husband's office door like she always did, a little surprised to see that it was closed now. It never was. She placed her hand on the doorknob and began to turn it but stopped halfway into it. 

From beyond the door she could hear muffled cries of bliss. She could kid herself all she liked, but she knew what it meant. Whatever was happening beyond that door she hoped to never truly know.

She turned away with a bitter look on her face and stormed back to her office. There wasn't a tear in her eye and she didn't sob once. Instead, fury burned in her eyes. Hatred for Ada. Hatred for her father for hiring the girl. But mostly hatred for the husband who had convinced her for all of these years that no matter how she treated him she still had meant something to him. Now it made her feel worthless.

* * *

Inside the room Jack's thoughts kept fluttering between Ennis and Ada as he groaned against Ada's neck. He wasn't sure who he wanted in his head and who he was trying to push away. 

But when finally his back arched in a spasm and he cried out in climax he had a clear vision of Ennis Del Mar's face set before him in his mind.

* * *

"Jack," Ada said, placing a hand across Jack's wrist after they were dressed. He flinched a little, surprising the both of them, at her touch. "We should get away from here… run off someplace," she said, wide-eyed. She sighed and smiled at him, expecting the same in return. 

Instead he stared back at her for a long time, unmoving. He had to think. It was a long time before he finally shook his head no.

"But… why not?" she asked. "I've been savin' up and Mr. Newsome's been paying me much too much," she laughed, "I have enough to buy out a tiny ranch now."

She noticed that Jack's expression remained unchanged. "I… I'm sorry, I can't."

Her smile was gone in a second. "Ada, it ain't you. It's just…" he shook his head.

"You love someone else," she said, her head tilting downward, her eyes focused on her feet.

"Yes," he said, "I'm sorry…"

"Jack," Ada said, looking up, her eyes shimmering, "it doesn't have to be just us." His eyes grew wide. "We could… Ennis could live with us too."

Jack couldn't believe his ears.

"Wha… how d'you…?!" he stuttered.

"When you drove to Wyoming that one day… when you asked for the weekend off, I got it off too. Newsome… he sent me to follow you."

Suddenly he remembered the white truck he had seen just as he was leaving Ennis's place.

"You… you were spyin' on me?"

"I was but… but I didn't tell the boss anything, really," she swore.

"But… how did you… _know_," he asked. "Does Newsome have any suspicions or…"

"Well he told me… he said 'He's going to visit this Ennis Del Mar, it's probably really some floozy he's goin' off to see, I want to you catch the two of 'em together,'" Ada explained. "But I knew when I saw you talkin' to 'im and when you were drivin' back, I could see it in your face, even from far away. You were so… I saw it and I knew. And I could tell that it was something _real_, something I'd never seen before in my life and I wanted a part of that…"

"Ada, I don't know," he heaved a sigh, still in a state of disbelief, "This doesn't make any sense…"

"Jack, I want you two to be together!" she shouted. "I… I _need_ it to be. And, dammit Jack, I don't know that you guys will be safe unless you have some kind of cover-up."

"But, Ada… you."

"Me what?" she demanded.

"I… I have _feelins_ for you, but I don't think I _love_ you, and you say you don't care now, but if this does go through, and I'm not saying that it even _can_, but I'll be with Ennis and you'll just be _there_, and if you love me, really _love_ me, I know that it'll just tear you apart." It was said in one big breath.

She thought about this for a long moment. "I can live like that," she said. There was a sense of determination in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, skepticism in his voice. It was like he was making excuses. This was too good to be true, too perfect, and it was like he was looking for the loophole that would destroy this so he wouldn't have his hopes soaring for too long before they came crashing back down.

She replied with a nod and she embraced him again when he grabbed her and cried the words "thank you" over and over in her ear.

* * *

"Daddy," Lureen told her father through the phone, the fury plain in her voice. "Jack's cheatin' on me." 

_It's about time_ he thought before answering. "That son of a bitch," he replied through the phone. "I always knew that boy wasn't good for nothing,' told you you never should've married 'im."

"I know, Daddy, I know," she hissed, "and it was with that Ada girl too."

"That little whore," he said, trying to hide his wide grin from entering his voice. "Well I'll tell that bastard husband of yers right now that you're through with 'im. You won't even have to see him again after tonight."

"Thank you Daddy," she smiled. "And hurry?"

"Will do, hon,'" he answered and hung up the phone.

He wondered how long Ada had been screwing Jack behind his back. Why hadn't she told him about it? He was furious with her for a moment until he realized it meant he didn't have to pay her the huge sum of money she was supposed to get when she got him to sleep with her. He could say now the contract was voided because she was withholding information from him. That would save him quite a bit of money, considering he had been paying her so much to begin with. Her deal would be done tonight.

One more thing bothered L.D. Newsome. All of this time Jack had been going to spend time with this Ennis Del Mar fella… it seemed legitimate. He was really some guy in Wyoming with a little house out in the middle of nowhere and a couple of daughters. Newsome had been sure that Jack and this Del Mar person had been queer for each other…

But no matter. With this Jack Twist would finally be out of his daughter's life, once and for all, and Newsome could find a son-in-law who was worth something, a son-in-law to make a father-in-law proud.

* * *

Jack and Ada had just stepped back out onto the lot when Mr. Newsome's black truck drove in. He drove closer and closer to them, until Jack nearly thought he had the intention of running the both of them over, but it came to a screeching halt just before they were ready to jump out of the way. 

The door flew open as soon as the car was stopped completely and before he knew it Jack was being pulled up by the front of his shirt by his very pissed father-in-law.

"You unfaithful little son of a bitch," he spat. "I knew… I just _knew_ you'd cave in eventually."

Jack glanced over at Ada. She was as shocked as he was and he knew right off that she hadn't told.

Newsome let go of Jack's shirt. And poked his fat index finger in the center of Jack's chest, looking him straight in the eye.

"You… you get the fuck away from my daughter. I'll even help. Whatever it takes. I'll give you enough money to run off with this little whore, whatever you need…"

"Don't you call her that," Jack warned.

"Don't try to flatter her," Newsome sneered. "Here," he held out a check, "It's for $20,000. I'm fuckin' serious about this. I don't never wanna see you again 'cept in court to legalize the divorce, y'hear?" Jack snatched the check from Newsome's fat hand. "You or the hooker."

In less than another second Newsome was flat on his back, his nose bleeding onto the pavement. Jack's knuckles bled as well. He shook his hand and wiped the blood on his shirt.

"She doesn't deserve that," Jack shouted at the beaten man on the ground.

Newsome rose, emitting a kind of maniacal laughter as he did so. "I'll see to it that you never see your son again," he chuckled through his defeat, taking advantage of the fact that he knew Jack wouldn't hit him when he was already down.

"You ain't the boss o' me," Jack defied him. "I will see him again."

"Not in my lifetime," Newsome said, backing up toward his car.

"Then let's hope you don't live for much longer then," Jack glared.

"You're both fired, by the way," Newsome said from the safety of his truck. "And Lureen better not call me tonight saying she saw you coming to get your things." Jack thanked God that the only two possessions he had that had actually meant something to him weren't at the house that, until ten seconds ago, he had called home.

Mr. Newsome sped off.

"Oh my God," Ada said, her hand in front of her mouth, shaking her head back in forth. "It wasn't supposed to be like that… I can't…"

"Shh… it's okay, Ada. Let's go."

"But… your son?"

"I'll see him again. Let's go."

Ada drove her little truck home and Jack trailed in his just behind her.

"Pack everything you need," Jack told her as they walked in together.

"Hell, Jack, I'm taking everything I've got," she told him. "Newsome's paying for me to live here. I suspect I'd be evicted tomorrow if I stayed.

"But what about your family…?"

"Oh, they don't live here, they live with Pa at the end of town… they'll be okay. I'll send them some money. And once we get settled… I'll send them a little of whatever we can make."

He helped her get all of her stuff together. There wasn't much-mostly clothes, some silverware and plates and such. All of it fit easily in the back of her truck.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her when everything was secure.

"You lead the way," she nodded, getting into her truck.

He got into the seat of his and started the 14 hour drive.

His mind raced the whole way there. How would he propose this to Ennis? How would Ennis react? Was there a chance in Hell that he would ever agree to this? Negative thoughts cluttered his mind.

_No_, Jack told himself. _This is _the_ chance. You and Ennis was meant to be together, you know that. _

This plan was crazy and he knew it. But that was why it would work. _This is the way it's gonna work_.

The more he said it the surer he was and soon he was whistling again to the radio like he had been his last time in Wyoming. He knew in his heart of hearts that this wouldn't be a repeat of the last time.

* * *

Jack's heart raced as he knocked on Ennis's front door. Ada held her breath beside him. She had been told not to say a word. Jack was going to do all of the talking. 

On the drive here they had stopped only for gas and meals and to pull once to the side of the road to get some sleep in the camper in the back of Jack's truck. The trip had taken them through the north of Texas, across the panhandle of Oklahoma, through all of Colorado and into the heart of Wyoming. Jack had spent every moment of that time preparing for this.

Finally the door opened. Ennis looked shocked to see Jack standing there. He invited them in and they took seats around a small table. Immediately he noticed Ada who sat beside Jack. He wondered who she was and what business she had here.

"What are you doin' here?" he asked through a smile but still sounding nearly angry with Jack. His body language seemed to show that he was delighted that Jack was visiting. "I told you I can't go with you, I'd lose my job, and I'm barely scroungin' by as it is right now."

"I have to tell you somethin," Jack stated.

"Well, what?" he asked.

"I'm divorcing Lureen," he grinned.

"Well, that's great Jack," Ennis said, "but really I can't go with you right now…"

"Me and Ada are runnin' off and buildin' a ranch," he said, motioning to her without breathing.

Confusion came like a wave over Ennis. "Jack," Ennis growled, anger rising in his voice, "if you're gonna be with some girl, why the hell did you come…"

He was interrupted by Jack's forceful kiss on the lips. Jack was leaning over the tiny table to reach him. Ennis kissed back almost instinctively, his eyes closing, his hands grasping the back of Jack's head, fingers streaming through his brown hair.

When it ended Ennis was left speechless.

"You're runnin' off and buildin' it with us," Jack smirked.

"But…" Ennis tried to form a question but the words escaped his lips.

"It's simple really," Ada saw that it was time to explain. "Jack and I will get married…" she trailed when he saw the look of disapproval in Ennis's eyes. "…but just so eveything'll seem normal. And then you can live with us. And if anybody asks you're a cousin or something with no place to stay."

"Which means you and me are free to… you know," Jack laughed.

"But what about her?" Ennis asked, nodding toward Ada, concerned. "What, she gets off on watchin' men?"

"Well we could… every once in a while, we'd have to…" Jack tried to say something, ashamed.

Ennis glowered. "You've been with her, haven't you?" He nearly shouted in frustration. "Well, hell Jack, no wonder you love this plan so much, you get to hold on to love _and_ pussy…"

Jack looked away in shame.

"But that's not true," Ada said to stop Ennis from continuing. He quieted down to see what she had to say. "Every time you've said no to him he's just been reachin' out for someone to love him. I happened to be there last time. He only did it 'cause of you. He only did it 'cause he needs you."

What she said got to Ennis. The look on his face changed almost immediately.

"Look, I'm sorry for that, Jack. This is just real unexpected," he let out a small laugh. "But… shit, could this really work?"

"We have money too," Ada said. "I've got a ton saved up and Jack's ex-father-in-law just handed him a check for twenty grand."

"_Holy fuck_," Ennis said after a beat, nearly jumping out of his chair. "You're fuckin' with me! You gotta be!"

"Nope," Jack shook his head, a huge grin on his face. "We're just about set…"

"But," Ennis interrupted again, "what about my daughters? I dunno what I'd do if I couldn't see 'em anymore…"

"Well, hell, Ennis, we don't have to move out to Alaska or something,'" Jack said. "We could stay here in Wyoming if you wanted. Find a nice ranch somewhere. We could…" his eyes grew wide. "We could find somethin' near Brokeback."

The proposal left Ennis awestruck. Was this really possible? It was too good to be true, it had to be.

"What's the catch?" Ennis asked after the thought had raced around in his mind for too long and he still hadn't found the flaw in the plan.

"The catch," Ada said, "is that you have to put up with me."

Ennis smiled. "I think I can live with that. Now come here!" He opened his arms to her. She got up out of her seat and walked into his arms. His grip was tight around her shoulders.

"How the hell did we find a girl like you?" He smiled. She did the same in return.

"We found her because this is supposed to happen," Jack reasoned. "We found her because this was meant to be."

"And what did you do?" Ennis chuckled, loosening his bear-hug grip. "Tell her 'By the way, I'm in love with another man, let's go off and start a life together?'"

"It's kind of a long story," Jack stated.

"Well, you better get started soon, then," Ennis grinned.

It took them a while to give him every little detail of what had happened. Ada explained first, explaining her life as a grocer's daughter and Mr. Newsome's offer. Much of the information she divulged about who she was and about her life was new to Jack as well as Ennis.

Jack went on to explain that she was spying on Jack and that she had known right away that they were lovers.

"You guys are the real deal," she interrupted, "and I'm willin' to do whatever I have to for it."

Jack then told Ennis, reluctantly, about how he had sought solace with Ada after Ennis had turned him down again. Ennis gladly forgave Jack, against his own expectations, and they exchanged smiles.

"So… here we are now," Jack said, "what do you say?"

"I say I'm in," Ennis said with a smile.

"So… now begins our search," Ada grinned.

"I've got the paper, we can look through here," Ennis said, turning around to the counter behind him and pulling a newspaper from the table. "And you guys… well, you're welcome to stay here, of course, until we find a place."

"We could do a little cow-and-calf operation like we always wanted," Jack began to dream out loud. "Build a little house, raise some horses…"

"Calm yourself, Jack, we hafta find a place first," Ennis chuckled at Jack's enthusiasm.

"I'm just excited is all," he apologized. "I mean this is perfect. Just perfect!"

"Hey," Ennis said, getting up and running to a cupboard. He removed a bottle of whiskey and three large glasses that were anything but shot glasses, pouring them each a small bit in the bottom of the cup.

"I propose a toast to the lil' lady," he said after handing out the cups, raising his own to the sky. "Without you none of this would be possible, so thanks," he grinned.

They clinked glasses together before downing them each in a gulp, astonished by the clearer, brighter future that they could already see in the distance.

* * *

"Lureen, I know you're disappointed that Jack left you like that…" Mr. Newsome started. 

"No, Daddy, you were right. He wasn't good for anything," she said

"I think we should go out for a drink. My treat? You've had a rough week."

She almost declined the offer. "Okay, yeah, that sounds good."

Mr. Newsome drove him off to his favorite bar. Randall Malone was already there, having some kind of discussion with another young man. They were caught up in whatever they were talking about, but Newsome had to interrupt.

"Randall, I think you should get to know Lureen a little better. Jack left her and she needs some comfortin', if you know what I mean."

"Actually, I'm a little bit busy right now," Randall tried to talk his way out of it.

"Nonsense!" Newsome said. "Excuse me," he told the small man next to Randall, "but my daughter wants to sit here."

"Uh… sure thing, sir," he said and reluctantly waved Randall off.

"Howdy," Lureen smiled as she sat down next to Randall. He smiled back politely, completely uninterested. "You know, it was really nice meeting you at work yesterday mornin', I thought maybe we could get to know each other a little better."

"Uh, sure," he replied. How could this woman be flirting with him the day her husband left her?

"Y'know, Daddy says that with his experience, he could help you do wonders with your ranch. We're millionaires now, y'know."

"Really?" he asked, suddenly interested.

"Oh, yeah," she nodded. "And he says he'd be proud if you'd be his new son-in-law, now that Jack's out of the picture."

"Yes maam!" Randall Malone replied, suddenly very interested in the prospect of the former Mrs. Jack Twist.


	2. Orion's Stars

_Here's chapter 2, finally, for you guys._

_Again I'd like to say that I don't own Brokeback Mountain, or Cold Mountain for that matter, though I realized just a week ago that the main character's name is Ada and we both mention Orion... but I wrote most of this before I happened to see that little film._

_Also, again, this is rated mature for a reason, so if you shouldn't be reading this please don't._

_Thanks again to everyone who reads this, I really appreciate it. PLEASE review!_

* * *

"Hell," Ennis grimaced after downing his drink, "all o' this deserves better than this god-awful whiskey." He took the empty glasses and placed them haphazardly in the sink behind him and then grinned wide. "This calls for a celebration. I'm takin' you guys out. Someplace nice."

He turned around and opened a drawer, scrambling through it for a moment. There was the jingle of metal and he pulled out a few odd keys on a ring.

"There's a lil' barbecue joint back in Riverton…" he said, searching for the key to his battered truck. When he found it he took it between his fingers and the rest of the keys dangled beneath them. "We take the girls there for their birthdays and…" he paused and his smile faded instantaneously. "Well, we used to."

The thought was bewildering. He wasn't used to this. Not at all. All the time he was discovering more of precisely what the divorce would mean for him. What hit him hardest was that he wouldn't be seeing the girls all the time. With every dawn of realization it became more real and there was another pang of some brand-new, awful emotion within him.

"Y'know, Ennis," Jack put his hand on his friend's shoulder and Ennis broke out of his momentary gloom, "if we're gonna go out, I think I should pay. I mean, twenty grand check, I think I got the tab covered…"

Ennis thought for a split second about arguing but figured it was no use. He turned to Jack. "Thanks, man," he said and patted his friend on the back. "I'm still drivin,' though," Ennis smiled.

"Wouldn' wanna deny you the privilege," Jack laughed, rolling his eyes.

He was relieved and delighted to see that Ennis wasn't too down about his separation from Alma. He was actually downright chipper as long as the thought of his daughters stayed out of his mind. When it came, though, the effect manifested itself in his features, his voice, his posture.

Jack hated those depressed little lapses. He noticed it come and go with every passing moment as they drove into town, even out of the side of his eye as he was stared forward at the dimly glowing city in the distance.

It was growing dark already and outside the weather was frigid enough out that it would snow if the clouds had been heavy. Instead the skies were a clear, deep blue that faded into black opposite the setting sun.

Jack sat in the passenger seat and Ada was nestled in between he and Ennis. It was an absolutely perfect fit, like the cab of the truck had been built just for the three of them.

"Wow, look at the stars," Ada awed as the sky darkened and like glittering clusters of diamonds the stars appeared in the night. "With all the lights in Childress… you never see the stars this clear."

Ennis looked up. "Been a while since I gave 'em a chance." His voice was distant and dreamy before he focused back on the road ahead of him. "Haven't since, well…"

"Brokeback?" Jack finished for him, remembering the nights by the fire, playing his harmonica, heating meals in cans, talking and making love through the nights until the stars faded against the rising sun's glow and the sun disappeared over the mountains once again.

Their smiles almost radiated a warmth that Ada could feel just by sitting between them. She basked in their contentment as she continued to marvel at the sky.

"Look," she said again, pointing northward at a point in the sky. "Orion."

"What?" Jack and Ennis both asked.

"It's a constellation." They both gave her blank looks. "Like a shape the stars make."

The men were silent, thinking for a second. "Oh, like the Big Dipper," Ennis nodded, understanding.

"The Big Dipper?" Jack repeated.

"Yeah," Ada said, pointing it out for Jack.

"Oh… Pa always called it the Big Bear. Never did see how it made a bear." He squinted now, trying to make sense of it.

Ada knew perfectly well how it was a bear but decided not to bore them with details about the Latin roots and Greek mythology she had learned as a child from her mother. She turned her attention back to Orion.

"Well that one, Orion, it's supposed to be a hunter." They both gazed upward, unable to discern the shape of a man in any of the masses of stars. "And those three real bright ones all in a row, that's Orion's Belt."

They shined out clearer and more vibrant than any other group of stars in the night sky and were easily distinguishable from the ones surrounding them.

"I don't see no belt, Ada, just three real bright ones in a row…" Ennis started.

"No, don'cha get it?" Jack interrupted, grinning. "It's us. Those three stars… they're us."

It wasn't what Ada had been getting to at all, but as much as Jack seemed to have been sprouting nonsense when the words escaped his mouth, all three kept their eyes fixed on the belt all the way to Linda Jean's Barbecue Place in Riverton and by the time they were there each of them had decided in their minds that the stars must have been placed there explicitly for them by God to find on this clear November night.

* * *

Ennis and Jack ordered an absurd amount of food at dinnertime. Pulled pork, chicken, dry-rubbed ribs, ribs slathered in barbecue sauce, burnt ends, brisket-everything on the menu.

As the food arrived Jack and Ennis got caught up, telling each other everything that had happened since their last real trip together. They drank down pitcher after pitcher of beer while they laughed and cried and gestured enthusiastically telling their stories.

Ada would have worried that they were making too big of an uproar had she not paid any attention to the restaurant's other patrons. At every table there was a birthday or a reunion or some other type of crazy get-together. She had never seen so many people truly enjoying themselves in one place at once before.

And then there were strange seconds of silence between the moments of chatter that were strange to Ada. Jack and Ennis spent this time just gazing at each other, not longingly or dreamily but in a state of contemplation and focus. They seemed to convey so much more to each other in these hushed moments then when they were speaking.

But then in another moment Jack would say something to pull them out of it and they joined back in with their rowdy surroundings.

The food was incredible- everything was tender and juicy and perfectly seasoned but Ada, never a big eater, was full before long. The guys, though, just kept on eating like they had bottomless stomachs. Looking at the two handsome, wiry men she wondered where it all went.

After her first small bottle of beer she ordered sarsaparilla, realizing the Jack and Ennis were growing more and more inebriated by the minute.

She didn't dare try to stop them, though. With their inhibitions lowered somewhat, she realized, they were truly opening up to each other and she watched them intently during all of dinner.

"I love you, Jack," Ennis's low voice carried across the room at one point during the conversation. Jack's eyes lit up.

"I love you too," he said and they both got up and gave the other a hug.

Ada froze. For a moment she believed she feared that they had been found out, but then she looked around at the other tables. Men all around them, most of them-she guessed- were just friends, were getting up, mumbling "I love you, man!" and embracing. It was a sight to behold. Soon everyone in the place was part of some big happy family.

Ada couldn't help breaking into giggles as Jack and Ennis sat back down but the hugs around the room continued. Waitresses tried to suppress their laughter as they delivered beers and food to the customers.

When the bill arrived Jack paid and left an enormous tip. He and Ennis stumbled in a drunken stupor out of the building with Ada walking close behind in case one of them happened to trip over the other.

Ennis pulled his key ring out of his pocket and fumbled around with the keys for a moment before Ada snatched them from his hand.

"I'll be drivin' home, thank you very much," she stated before walking over to the driver's side. He shrugged and agreed and stepped in on the passenger's side after Jack who was now sitting in the center seat.

In just a couple of minutes both men were passed out. Ennis leaned, slumped back in his seat with Jack's head resting across his him and his left arm wrapped around Jack's chest. Even in his sleep, Jack's left hand remained placed softly across Ennis's thigh.

Ada adored them in their sleep. What they had was beautiful. She wished she could be a bigger part of that now, but she expected that it could only come with time. It was thanks to her that any of this was possible, she had been told again and again during dinner, and that made her feel pretty damned good about herself.

She looked up at the sky again, her eyes immediately drawn to the three stars, the belt that, thanks to Jack, she would always see as Jack, Ennis, and herself.

She wondered which star she was. When Jack had pointed it out she, for some reason, had immediately seen herself as one of the stars off to the side, somehow separated from the opposite star, Ennis, and connected only because of Jack in the middle.

But as she glanced from the sleeping men to her right to the stars up above her she had the odd feeling that perhaps both Ennis and Jack had seen her as their central star, bridging the gap between the two of them, allowing love to flourish in a space where otherwise the distance would be enough to let their love slowly rot away

* * *

Ada nearly got lost on the way to Ennis place in the dark but she didn't want to wake him. He smiled even in his sleep, clearly lost in some amazing dream that was no doubt about the man in his arms.

In his drunken condition he probably wouldn't be too much help anyway, pointing in the dark toward the home he had moved into less than a month previous. Ada figured a very intoxicated but persuasive backseat driver could be just as deadly as a drunk in the driver's seat.

It was lucky that Ennis had turned on a porch light before they headed out because now, even from a distance, it was easy to make out his little house in the pitch dark that surrounded them.

When she had parked the truck out front and had turned off the ignition, she looked over at Jack and Ennis again, watching them dream in the very faint glow of the porch light.

She couldn't get over the two of them. She wondered how they had found each other, what it took to realize that they were in love. She couldn't imagine how much they must've struggled with it, how they could have ever let each other know when so much was at stake, when it was so forbidden. How would two men even go about making love?

She supposed that their love had been realized without a word. Something close to what had happened a few times during dinner. Sometimes a look in the eye might be enough to articulate what might be said in a year of speaking.

She wondered about Brokeback. The mere mention of the place seemed to be what had convinced Ennis that this plan would work. She wondered where it was, what it was, and why it was so significant to them. Answers, she figured, would come with time.

"Hey boys," she whispered when she knew it was time, shaking them out of their sleep. "We're home."

Ennis stirred first. "Huh?" he grumbled. Then, realizing where he was, he turned his attention to the man he had an arm wrapped around.

"Hey, wake up," he whispered in Jack's ear which was still placed against his chest. Ennis's voice woke him immediately.

Jack sighed, breathing hard in relief. "I was afraid I'd been dreamin' it all," he admitted.

"This ain't a dream," Ennis murmured, putting a little slack in his grip around Jack but not much. They hopped out the passenger's side door of the car together, not even noticing the cold as they walked up to the front door.

Ada unlocked it for them and let the guys inside first. There was a bit of confusion about the sleeping arrangements for a second before Ada sorted it all out.

"Y'all get the bedroom," she said.

"Y'sure?" Jack and Ennis each asked a number of times.

"I insist, go." They obliged, though they were exhausted, and they were both back asleep, nestled together in Ennis's bed before either could manage to even take off his coat.

It didn't take Ada long to find where she would be sleeping. There was a large, rather comfy, orange sofa in the main room with a very soft blanket folded over a few times and placed over on one end.

She unfolded the blanket and draped it over herself, allowing sleep to wash over her as quickly as it could.

In a dream Ada saw grass-covered mountains and great, craggy rocks above a clear blue river. She saw pup-tents and campfires and sheep roaming all around with little herding dogs nipping at their ankles. Birds sang and crickets chirped. The wind rustled the leaves in the trees against the steady, almost rhythmic flow of the river. Beauty and serenity in their purist forms.

This, she thought as her mind captured every rushing detail of her surroundings, must be Brokeback Mountain.

Ada woke to the sound of clanging pots and pans and laughter in the kitchen. The room was already filled with the sun's pleasant, golden glow. She yawned gently and pushed the covers off of herself, feeling very well rested despite the sudden awakening.

She sat up and placed her bare feet on the floor, yawning a final time before walking a bit over to Ennis's kitchen.

It was a small tiled room with a small stove, refrigerator, and sink lined against one wall.

Ennis stood above the stove, dressed in only his jeans with his hand wrapped around the handle of a small shallow pan, frying up, from the smell of it, scrambled eggs. Jack stood behind him dressed, or undressed rather, in the same fashion, with his arms wrapped around Ennis's chest, his head on Ennis's right shoulder whispering something in his ear that made them both chuckle.

"Good mornin'," Ada said from the doorway. The other two had been so caught up with each other that they hadn't noticed her.

Jack instinctively jumped back away from Ennis.

"No, no… it's okay, 'member?" she gave a reassuring smile.

"Right," Jack blushed, "not quite used to it yet. Well, good mornin' to you too."

"Mornin'," Ennis nodded.

"Makin' eggs, I see," Ada commented, leaning over and glancing at them as they were growing yellow and fluffy.

"Don't have much of anythin' else," he apologized.

"You don' mind if I…" she said, gesturing toward the refrigerator.

"Not at all," Ennis replied.

She could see when she opened the door that Ennis was right. It had seemed that Ennis sustained himself on cheap beer and sandwiches, from the contents of his fridge. Ada glanced around at what he had. Packaged sandwich meat, sliced cheese, some bread and potatoes.

"You know, why don't you guys get out of here while I finish breakfast up?" Ada shooed them out of the kitchen.

"Y'sure?" Ennis asked.

"Yes. Now out with the both of you," she winked.

"You cook too? _Damn,_" Jack laughed. "Well, Ennis and I will be in the room. If you need us… well, wait I guess."

Ennis took Jack back into the bedroom. The door had no sooner closed than they were both rolling on the bed, bare chest on bare chest as their lips met.

For the first time in twelve years their minds weren't cluttered with the _not-this_. Going back home after a weekend trip was _not-this_. Making excuses to unloving and suspicious wives was _not-this_. Poverty and parents-in-law and not-getting-caught and rejection were all _not-this._

But now all they had to worry about was _this_. Jack pressed his tender lips against Ennis's before Ennis's tongue did a little exploring of its own against Jack's. Ennis planted kisses all around the left side of Jack's neck while his left hand caressed Jack's hardening penis through his jeans.

Jack moaned, closing his eyes, his arms around Ennis to brace himself against the pleasure. He let go when he knew it was time and he turned over, getting on his knees, ready for Ennis.

Out of the corner of his eye Jack saw Ennis go to the nightstand and pull something out. He wondered what it was but the thought ran away when Ennis was back behind him, pulling off Jack's jeans just like on their first night in the tent on Brokeback.

He heard Ennis unzip his own pants behind him and braced himself for the pain that would inevitably accompany the overwhelming pleasure that Ennis had never failed to deliver him.

Jack had to wait for a second before the rough and yet somehow still gentle touch of Ennis's hands was felt around Jack's waist. Jack bit his lip on impulse as he felt the tip of Ennis's swollen cock against him, but when Ennis finally entered him it was effortless.

There was still pain, yes, and Jack's eyes watered with that wonderful ache, but it was immeasurably less and the pleasure he received with each consecutive stroke within him grew more and more pleasurable as the sting faded.

Ennis's rhythmic motion against Jack continued. Jack felt as if he was going to come any second now but Ennis inexplicably withdrew from Jack before he had climaxed.

Before Jack could get out a word, Ennis grabbed him up so that they were both now standing, facing the room's northern wall, gasping for the sweet night air.

Quickly, Ennis took Jack's hands and placed them against the wall, continuing kisses down the back of his neck before he reassumed the position behind Jack. In moments they took off right where the both of them had left out, about ready to burst.

Now Ennis grabbed Jack's waist firmly with his left arm while he continued deep strokes within him from behind. His right hand reached around Jack and he grabbed Jack's hard cock and slowly worked the skin back and forth, matching his own movement behind Jack. When he knew Jack was comfortable he worked his hand and moved himself faster and faster and kept going until both of their bodies grew rigid and taut for a moment and they came in unison, gasping for the same breath, their bodies seemingly merging together as one, a quaking body of pure bliss.

They both collapsed on the bed, panting and sticky but more fulfilled physically than they had been in their lives. Jack rested atop Ennis, placing his head on his bare chest, full of questions. But he didn't need to ask them quite yet. After all, now was time for _this_, for the very first time, and Jack didn't want to ruin it.

Ennis knew what Jack was thinking immediately. "Got a coupla new tricks up my sleeves. Notice?" he said in a low voice, smiling.

"Hell yes I did," Jack answered, a hint of something that might have been awe in his voice. "Where did you…"

"Jus' realized… maybe there was a lil' bit more I can do for you… not really sure how I figured the Vasoline bit…"

Jack held him tighter and laughed.

"Just there ain't nothin' better than this," Ennis smiled. "Nothin' better."

"Nah, there is," Jack shook his head, though he couldn't bring himself to believe it. "A place of our own. Out on the river with the sun shinin'. 'Member those days? It ain't too far off now."

"Don' get your hopes up too high, Jack," Ennis warned.

"Why not? Things are finally lookin' up for us. This is how it was always s'posed to be."

"You really b'lieve that, doncha?" Ennis asked, running his fingers through Jack's hair.

"Damned right, I do."

Ennis rested in silence for a second. "Then I will too," he said. "For you."

Jack propped himself up on his elbows and kissed Ennis again hard on the mouth. He smiled and then thought for a second and asked, "You really mean what you said last night?"

Right away Ennis knew what he meant. He had been thinking of it too. He sat up and Jack sat up beside him, knees dangling over the edge of the bed. "Every word of what I said. You know I love you, Jack Twist."

Jack was quiet. "Just, you never said it before. Not in the twelve years I've known you."

"I guess…" Ennis thought, "I guess I was afraid to say it before. Knowin'… we wouldn' never really be together. But now…" he struggled with the words. Jack stayed quiet, ears open. "I just thought it would kill you to know I loved you, to hear it, but then…" he trailed off.

"I always knew you loved me though," Jack grinned, "like you always knew I loved you. Things are gonna be good now."

Ennis nodded, then glanced over at his clothes in a pile on the floor. "Ada's probably waitin', we should get out there."

"Hell, I almost forgot," Jack said, pulling his jeans back on. He scanned the floor with his eyes. "Where's my shirt again?" he laughed.

"I dunno," Ennis chuckled. "Uh… probably don' really need it anyway, she don't seem to mind," Ennis said as he buttoned up a shirt he had tossed to the ground much earlier in the day.

"Right." Jack kissed Ennis again.

The door opened for the first time in a long while and they both stepped outside, great grins on their faces. Ada stepped outside of the kitchen when she heard the door creak.

"About time, you two," she said through a smile, though she was trying to sound stern.

They both stepped into the kitchen. There were three plates set out, each coated with a healthy helping of eggs.

They were nothing like Ennis has started preparing them, save the eggs. She had gone ahead and chopped up potatoes and fried them up and cooked up some sliced ham so that the sugar had caramelized up and mixed it all in with the eggs. The result was a delicious cheesy omelet that Ennis had never realized could be cooked up with just the stuff he had tucked away in the fridge.

Ada had them each seated around the little table in the main room soon with their plates and a fork for each of them and a cup of coffee that Ada had brewed up and mixed with a little sugar and milk.

They each took a bite. "It's been a long time since I've had home cookin' like this,"Ennis said, shoving another forkful of the egg in his mouth. "Thank you, Ada."

Jack said nothing for a while, just took in bite after bite. Before long he had devoured everything on the plate.

"I haven't had home cookin' like that since I was a lil' boy," he admitted, astounded she had managed to make this with what Ennis had.

"No problem, you two," she smiled. "I love it. Cookin' I mean. Always used to cook everything for my family, kind of a hobby."

"Well, that's good," Jack chimed in, "'cause neither of us can cook for shit." He started to crack up. Ennis shot him a look but then joined in laughing.

A noticeable look of realization suddenly dawned upon her face. "Speakin' of cookin', do you guys realize what day it is?" Ada asked.

"Monday?" Ennis took a stab.

"It's the 24th of November," she said, suddenly very thoughtful but anxious. "Thanksgiving's on the 27th. You two got anything planned?"

There was a pause. "Hadn't even thought of it," Ennis said. "Kinda planned on being alone this year..."

"Yeah… I thought I'd be spending the weekend with the Newsomes again. Forgot it was coming up after all of this happened…"

"Well… shoot, I need to get home. It's kind of a tradition in my family that the matriarch prepare everything for Thanksgiving... It's kind of been my duty for a few years now 'cause of my Mama and everything... So… what do you think about maybe comin' with me and inviting your kids over?" Ada asked. "I'd cook and… we could all spend the holiday together?"

Jack and Ennis's smiles rose and fell in a matter of seconds. After thinking for a second about it neither of the guys felt quite as enthusiastic as Ada had. Their wives would never let it come to fruition, not right now, so soon after Ennis had gotten divorced and Jack had skipped town.

"You don't think it'll work?" Ada frowned when she saw the apprehension in their faces.

"Well, I'll try," Jack said. "I'll call up Lureen… but, I didn' leave on good terms with the wife," he laughed with a small bit of a bitter edge on his voice.

"It wouldn' hurt for me to try too, I guess," Ennis nodded, glancing over at the phone. Immediately he strolled over to it and dialed Alma.

"Hey," the others heard him speak through the phone. They could hear Alma talking his ear off through the receiver. He just grunted to let her know he understood. When she let up he finally spoke again. "Uh, well, I was wonderin', since you're not goin' to see your folks until Sunday, maybe the girls could spend Thanksgivin' with me. Uh huh. Okay. Bye."

Ennis looked nearly shocked. "She said they can come if I pick 'em up."

"Really?" Jack laughed. "Well, hell, lemme try," Jack said, rushing over to the phone and calling up Lureen.

"Hello?" Jack said and then flinched at the sound of her screech through the phone. He waited for her to finish before he said anything. "Well, could Bobby come over here for Thanksgiving? _Why?_ Well because he's my son and I…" he grew silent for a moment, listening. "You… really?" he smiled. "Why the hell would I do that? No, I… okay," he said "Wait…" he turned to Ada and asked "What's your daddy's address?" Ada told him and then Jack rattled it off through the phone. "Okay, I understand. Bye."

"She's droppin' Bobby off Thursday mornin'," he said immediately afterward, grinning. "Says ever since I left her daddy won't shut up 'bout how he was right the whole time, says she's sick of it and she don't want Bobby around to hear none of it and that she's tired of him bossing her around, tellin' her I can't ever see 'im again."

It was silent for a second.

"I still can't believe they said yes," Ennis said, baffled.

"Like I told you, Ennis," Jack said again, a great grin on his face. "It's because all of this was s'posed to be."

* * *

Thanksgiving plans went without a hitch. Ada called her father and explained the situation- or part of it anyway, seeing as it was a bizarre set of circumstances she thought that not even her father was sure to understand. Ada had Jack drive her back to Childress Tuesday so that she could prepare everything just right. They stopped off at the bank and deposited Mr. Newsome's check, each withdrawing some cash for the holiday festivities.

"Oh, Jack?" she asked him when they were approaching her house. Jack was surprised to see how large the home was but it was in pretty bad shape. It reminded him of the house he had grown up in but he imagined that there were more rooms and that it was a whole lot friendlier inside.

"Yes?"

"I'm sure that by now Pa's heard about what happened with us…" she said, knocking on the door, "but he won't bring it up if we don't. We can jus' let 'im know that the money situation is fine and I think that'll suffice…"

The front door flew open. "Adelaide, darlin'!" Mr. Delaval grinned, throwing his arms around her. He was weathered with age but still had a pleasant, very kindly look about him. He had a round face and white whiskers and stood just a few inches taller than Ada.

"And you must be Jack Twist," he turned, shaking Jack's hand before Jack could even realize he had extended the hand to shake. Jack could recognize through Delaval's emerald eyes that even in his old age, the old man was still sharp as a tack.

"Yessir, Mr. Delaval," Jack responded, smiling at the elderly man's benevolence. Jack had heard of him, he realized, even before he had met Ada. Clearly the respect the townspeople had for Martin Delaval stemmed from his kindheartedness. He knew where Ada got it- why she understood his love better than he and Ennis ever really been able to.

"Ah, call me Marty," the old man insisted. "We're practically family now, right?"

"Well, thank you, Marty," Jack said, and the old man invited him inside.

"It ain't much, but it's home," Martin said as he gave them the tour. Right at the front door rested most of the living room. It was modestly decorated and the hardwood floors were creaky, but the fireplace crackling away in the corner brought great warmth and coziness to the place. Jack could see a kitchen on the far right end, and what he imagined was probably Mr. Delaval's room straight from the door. To the left stood the stairs to the second floor.

"Why don't you introduce Jack to the kids?" Martin asked.

"Alright Pa," she smiled and nodded and took Jack up the stairs. They creaked a little with each step, but soon they were on the second floor.

She walked over to the room farthest to the right and the door groaned open.

"Howdy, you two," Ada said as she peeked inside the white-walled room.

"Ada, you're really here!" the slightly taller of the two girls inside said from the bed as she looked up from a leather-bound novel. The other set down a pencil stub she had been writing with at the desk in the corner of the room and both of the girls ran toward her to hug her.

"We've been hearin' some things, that you've been up to trouble," the slightly shorter girl said.

Besides the height, the girls were nearly identical in physical appearance. They had the same deep brown hair and tan skin, the same hazel eyes as each other. It was clear from their unique hair and dress, though, that though they were twins they were not the same.

Ada ignored the comment. "Jack, this is Katie," she motioned toward the taller girl with her long hair down, flowing over her shoulders, "and this is Kara," she introduced the shorter girl, who had her shorter hair braided into a long tail. "And girls, this is Jack."

"It's nice to meet you," Jack offered to shake their hands. Kara was the first, approaching politely, but Kate shied away a little, giggling.

"They're fourteen," Ada whispered to him later, "and Katie gets a little nervous around the boys."

"I heard you've been gettin' in trouble," Kara said again. "Got fired from the Newsome Farm Equipment place…"

"You know, it's the holiday, no reason to be stirrin' up an argument, Kara," Ada shook her head.

"No, I was gonna say congratulations," Kara laughed. "I've heard word that this Newsome fella… well I can't say the things I've heard. They ain't good."

"I'm sure every word you've heard is true," Jack nodded, laughing now too. He was astounded by how much this girl behaved like her older sister. Jack was an only child, as was his son, so he had never quite understood the sibling dynamic. "Y'know, you're very mature for someone your age," he told her.

"I learned from the best," she said, watching her older sister.

"Well, you two can get back to what you were doin', Jack still hasn't met the others," Ada said.

"Good luck," Kara laughed.

"Kara!" Ada scolded her, "What's that s'posed to mean?"

"Nothin'."

"Bye Jack," Katie mumbled, hiding behind her book until he left.

Soon Ada and Jack were outside and the first door was shut. They moved on to the second door, but when Ada opened it no one was inside. Jack caught just a glimpse of what rested inside of the room, noticing mostly the stack of books on a desk.

"They both must be in here," she said as she tried the third door.

"Hell, woman, do you ever knock?" A man's voice said from inside the room filled with model cars and planes. Ada knew immediately that he was joking, but Jack wasn't sure until he saw the wide grin on the boy's handsome face and his arms opening to embrace her.

She ran inside and hugged him back. He was much taller than she was but he had the same jet-black hair and the same dark eyes.

Beside him a smaller boy of about ten with hair just as dark latched on to hug her too.

"I missed you, y'know," the much older boy said.

"I missed you both," she responded, "I'm sorry I haven't come over to see you guys, but It's been kinda hectic."

"Understood," said the brother, now looking at Jack. "So this must be the infamous Jack Twist."

"I'm infamous now?" Jack laughed, shaking his hand.

"Oh, absolutely," he answered him. "My name's Bryden, by the way. And this," he pulled the boy who was still clutching Ada like some kind of giant stuffed animal away from her. "This is Jareth. He's real shy around strangers, ain'tcha Jare?"

Jareth did not respond. He looked up at Jack before scrambling back over to his big sis. His eyes were an amazingly deep blue, like cobalt glass, and they were almost startling against his dark skin and hair.

"Once he knows you he'll be okay," Bryden insisted to Jack.

"So, what is it that Kara's been warnin' me about?" Ada asked, wondering about why she had just been wished good luck in the girls' room.

"That's just Kara bein' Kara," he said.

"Is it, Bry?" Ada probed.

He sighed. "I kinda got in trouble at school for tellin' off a professor. Kara thinks I'm lookin' for fights, but I ain't. I just can't stand that racist bastard."

"But you're still goin' to school?" Ada asked, concerned.

"Long as I don' make a scene again," he said, "and I ain't promisin' anything. Too much damn politics goin' on. I just wanna learn 'n get my degree 'n be outta there. You go to college, Jack?"

"Nah, never really followed through with schoolin'," he said.

"It ain't so great," Bryden said, "not when you're tryin' to learn 'bout literature and philosophy and instead you're being force fed this anti-immigrant, anti-homosexual, anti-Catholic bullshit. Not when Mama and Pa been teachin' us tolerance from day one, y'know?"

"Sounds awful," Jack said, amazed that out of all of the girls in all of Childress, Mr. Newsome had happened to pick this girl, the girl with this family, the girl with these values. Jack figured it was just more proof that he and Ennis were meant to be together.

"Watch your language in front of Jareth," Ada whispered.

"Sorry," Bryden responded, "but he's heard it all. It don't really hurt none to hear it again…" He suddenly remembered Jack's comment. "But anyway, school'll pay off eventually," he said. "Sometimes you hafta put up with years of shi…" he caught himself " …nanigans to get what you really want."

"Truer words ain't never been spoken," Jack said.

He noticed again that Jareth was still hiding behind his sister. "Hey," Jack said quietly to Jareth, doing his not to sink into that irritating little voice people use when they talk to small children as he bent down to be level with him. "I have a son your age and he's comin' over tomorrow. He's eight, and he'll be real bored if he don't have any friends to play with. You think maybe you'll show him around?"

Jareth nodded in response.

"Well that's great. Thank you, Jareth," Jack said.

"Welcome," Jareth said back, surprising even himself.

* * *

Ada went out grocery shopping on her own. Only she knew precisely what she wanted to do and others would just hinder her preparation. She had a grocery list in hand as she stepped outside that would be more than adequate for holding a proper feast.

Jack stayed back at the Delaval house. When Jack first stepped back downstairs, Martin was waiting for him with a few cold beers set out.

"Just wanna get to know my future son-in-law a little better," he explained. "Now why doncha have a seat?"

Martin sat at the head of the very large table. It seemed completely appropriate for the Thanksgiving feast. Without realizing it he had started to count the chairs around the table. With a dozen places to sit, it was more than enough to accommodate their very extended little family.

"Thank you," Jack said as he sat down. He noticed that Martin was glancing over at a little end table, eyeing the old black-and-white photograph dressed up in a pretty little silver frame that stood upon it.

Jack leaned over to get a closer look. He recognized that it was a wedding photograph, with a much younger Martin Delaval looking quite dashing in a dark tuxedo and his beautiful bride donning a lovely white gown. Jack noticed immediately the gorgeous dark hair, skin, and eyes she had passed on to her children. Finally he understood.

"She was my Josefina," Jack had a nostalgic air to his voice, pronouncing her name with a full accent as he looked at the photograph. Jack set down his beer and listened. "My li'l Spanish rose. We was married in 1948, tried in California, thought that since they lifted the miscegenation law there we'd be okay. But when we learned that the marriage wouldn' be recognized legally back here we forgot about it.

"So we faked it. She became 'Josephine Sue' and we pretended like she had moved here from up north, that she was just real dark-skinned. Maybe Italian. And her English was flawless, better'n mine, so people ne'er suspected a thing. We was married here in Childress and she became a schoolteacher and settled down. Secret never got out."

"Did somethin' happen to her?" Jack asked, concerned.

"No, no. She just had a weak heart. Passed in her sleep, real peaceful like."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Marty," Jack said.

"Thank you," Martin said. He sat silent for a second. "You know, it's real nice of you 'n Ada to be invitin' your friend over for Thanksgiving. It's good to have somewhere to go when you don't got nobody."

Martin shot Jack a look and at once Jack was sure that, though Ada hadn't told him a word, he understood what was going on.

"Luck runs in the family, Jack," Martin continued, "and I b'lieve that with my lil' girl watchin' out over you two, you ain't never gonna run into any trouble."

"We're lucky to've met her," Jack said after a moment. "Or, well…" he thought, "it took somethin' real surefire like this to fine'ly convince Ennis. I dunno how I got this lucky."

"Does it really matter?" Martin asked. "I'd get my eye on the future if I was you. So I hear y'all are thinkin' of startin' up a ranch."

For the next few hours Jack told Martin Delaval every detail of the ranch he had been dreaming up for twelve years. Martin listened patiently and with ears open while Jack told him all about his cattle raising plans and about building a nice little house and eventually doing well enough that he wouldn't have to worry about anything ever again.

And he learned about the more recent plans, thoughts that Jack had only grazed over in his mind in the past days, accommodating Ada into the perfect life that he had planned would be just he and Ennis.

He knew right off that she would be so much more than just a cover-wife for the two of them, and more than a cook and more than a maid and more than a friend. She was a part of this now, and it wasn't just because she would be living with them or because he had slept with her but because without her, Jack and Ennis wouldn't have anything but the memories of Brokeback Mountain.

* * *

Ada was back before Jack and her father were finished having a chat so she let them be and got to the dinner preparations. This, she imagined, would have to top any Thanksgiving feast she had put together before.

Her family already was familiar with her cooking, so clearly they weren't the ones she was out to impress. Jack and Ennis had even already had a taste.

But now she was nervous and, as she was putting together a casserole that would be baked in the morning, she realized that it was because she would be meeting the kids that, she hoped, she would someday come to love like her own children.

Cooking well for them would help win them over, she thought, just as much as being nice to them and respecting them.

She wondered if Ennis's daughters would like her. Alma Jr. was eleven years old now and Jenny was nine. Ada hoped that Ennis's girls wouldn't be as finicky and hard-to-please as her twin sisters had been at that age.

Bobby Twist was just eight now. She wondered how they would get along, whether she would have as hard a time connecting to him as she did with her usually silent brother Jareth.

She thought about how important first impressions are, especially to kids. She didn't want to mess this up, not when she someday hoped to be like a second mother to these kids.

As she began mashing sweet potatoes into a paste she hoped that no one would be able to taste the extra caution she put into each bit.

* * *

When Ennis arrived it was nearly midnight. The girls had fallen asleep in his truck on the ride over and needed to be stirred gently from their sleep upon arrival.

Ada took a short break from her preparation to lead the sleepy girls upstairs and into Jareth's room where a small but very comfy looking bed beckoned for them to return to their deep sleep.

Ennis introduced himself to Mr. Delaval as soon as he had stepped inside and found himself almost surprised with how friendly and accommodating he was.

He grinned wide when he saw Jack at the head of the stairs, coming down to greet him.

"Thought you'd never get here," Jack said when he gave Ennis a quick hug.

"Well I'm here," he replied. "Tired as hell though."

"I hope you two don't mind that you'll be sleepin' in the same room," Martin said, giving that omniscient look to Ennis, but he was so focused on Jack that he nearly missed it. "Jack'll show you to Ada's old room."

Ennis followed Jack back up the stairs and into the room where Jack had been staring at the ceiling, waiting for the tell-tale crunch of tires against the pavement that would mean Ennis was here.

As soon as they were both inside, Jack closed the door behind him and Ennis sat down on the bed. Soon Jack's lips were on Ennis's.

Ennis pulled back. "Jack," he whispered, "does Martin know 'bout us?"

Jack nodded. "I think so," he said and went in for another kiss.

Ennis kept some distance between them. "Whadya mean 'you think so?"

"I guess he figured it out, same as Ada," Jack explained, now sitting down next to Ennis.

"Dammit Jack," Ennis turned away from him. "This ain't never gonna work if you're so obvious all the time."

Jack wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't know how to explain how astute Martin was or how he had figured it all out, or about his wife and the secret they had been forced to keep for love.

"Promise me you'll be more careful," Ennis said, his voice low with what might be mistaken for anger, but Jack knew it was concern. He turned back to Jack, taking Jack's face in his hands, staring directly into Jack's blue eyes.

"I… I promise," Jack stammered, "I'm sorr…" but he was cut off when Ennis's lips stopped him and he was pushed back down into the bed.

* * *

Ada was up bright and early the next morning while the rest of the house slept in. Without a sound she got up out of the little bed she had made on the floor in the twins' room and crept downstairs, taking extra caution to skip the creaky step near the floor of the stairs.

She was careful as she brought out the pots and pans and baking sheets and casseroles that she made no noise, working in silence for a good part of the morning as she saw the sun coming up over the horizon through the little window.

She might've been annoyed with this, she realized, if this hadn't been the routine year after year. She remembered, as a little girl, waking up at noon and coming down to see that the whole Thanksgiving meal was nearly finished, with her mother slaving away in the kitchen while she watched to learn the family secrets.

That was always how it had been, how her mother had insisted it should be. Now she wished that she might get some help. She wasn't her mother and she wouldn't mind seeing a couple of friendly faces in the kitchen beside her, helping.

She loved cooking, but she would never have the same skill that her mother had. It wasn't just about measuring out ingredients and counting the time out in your head until it was done. Cooking required a keen eye, a perceptive sense of smell, precise movement of the wrists and most of all improvisation, which couldn't just be learned by watching in marvel as a girl.

Just as she was placing the turkey in the oven her mind trailed and she thought of Jack and Ennis upstairs. Currently they were sharing her room, and she couldn't help but wonder… but she decided it was best to just leave them to do whatever they did when she wasn't around.

Still she always wondered what they were up to. She wondered if they would ever let her be a part of whatever they had.

For now she was content to see their smiling faces afterward, to enjoy the elation that glowed off of them when they were together, just to witness it.

But, like she had learned listening to gramophone records as a girl and imagining that Johnny Cash was right there in the parlor serenading her, you could only pretend to be a part of something for so long before making believe wasn't enough and you had to move on to something else. Something real.

She hoped that this wouldn't be like that. She had more control over this, she realized, than over the infatuations she might have had in her teen years, but she would never know how to become a part of Ennis and Jack. She hoped that she wouldn't be just the third wheel for years and years and come to regret this decision someday, old and alone.

She decided not to linger on it for too long. They'd come to appreciate her- really they already did- but the more she supported them the more she hoped to see them care for her in return.

Now it was Thanksgiving morning, she thought, and she shoved the thoughts of being with Jack and Ennis out of her mind. She needed to focus on this, on making this the best Thanksgiving either of them or their children had ever had.

* * *

Alma Jr. and Jenny had only been awake for about a couple minutes, rising gently from Jareth's bed, before a knock was heard at the door. Junior tiptoed over to the door and opened it. Outside were a couple of older girls that neither of the Del Mar girls had met before.

"Hi, I'm Katie," the taller twin introduced herself. "And this is Kara. Do you want to play?"

"Okay," Ennis's daughters said almost in unison and followed the twins into their room where, besides lots of big books that they weren't all too interested in, Junior and Jenny found that their new friends had a lot of pretty dolls to play with and a lot of old clothes that were perfect for dress-up.

Ennis's girls were having a lot of fun playing with the older kids, for once, and the twins got a kick out of being the big kids. The twins had always been the second youngest and Jareth wasn't interested at all in girl stuff. Kara felt maybe like she was a little bit old for all of this, but after a little bit she felt like she was nine or ten again and she didn't mind that she might have been acting a little immature.

Ennis woke up before Jack, who was breathing gently in his arms, dreaming, when Ennis's eyes first fluttered awake.

There was a little curtain around the window to keep out the sunlight, but from the way the edges of the curtain shone bright yellow he could tell that the sun was up.

He got up out of bed, placing a kiss on Jack's sleeping cheek, before he unlocked the door and stepped outside.

He heard quiet giggling from the room farthest to the right. The door was open and, curiously, he peeked inside. He smiled when he saw that his daughters were enjoying themselves.

"Daddy!" Jenny cried out when she saw him. "Do you wanna come play with us?"

"Sure," he replied, never really a fan of dolls and whatnot but willing to do it for the sake of time with his girls. "What are you playin'?"

"House," Junior replied, like this was the definitive answer.

"And what are your names?" he asked the twins. Katie had already turned bright red and was now staring intensely at the doll, focusing on something so she wouldn't burst into a giggle fit.

"I'm Kara and this is Katie," the shorter twin said when she noticed her sister.

"Hi," Katie meekly replied, looking up for a half second and then quickly turning away.

"Good to meet you," Ennis said, sitting down in between his girls and taking the doll of a man that Jenny was eagerly holding up for him to take.

For the good part of an hour he played "house," which consisted of mainly each girl talking about how beautiful her doll's dress was and how beautiful the other girls' dolls' dresses were while Ennis held his doll up and nodded in agreement when one of the girls turned to him and said "Ain't it beautiful, Ken?"

Before long Jareth stepped into the room. He just sat in the corner and watched them play, and it was a while before anyone noticed him.

"Don't mind him," Kara told the Del Mar girls, "Jareth don't really talk much. He's real shy 'round strangers."

"Hi Jareth," Junior said, waving, but he remained silent and returned to his room.

Jack woke a little later and stumbled out of bed. Immediately he heard the girls playing and, not thinking that Ennis would be inside of that room, went downstairs to look for him.

Just as he reached the foot of the stairs there was a knock on the door.

"Could somebody please get that?" Ada yelled from the kitchen as she was carefully frying up something that's delicious smell wafted through the lower floor of the house and reached his nose.

"I got it," Jack answered as he opened the door.

It was strange for him to see Lureen there, standing with her arms folded to herself with little Bobby at her side with the same neutral look she always had plastered on her face since they had been married.

Strangely enough it had seemed like forever since Jack had set eyes on her. She had been beautiful once, even on the inside, but now nicotine and peroxide had gotten the better of her.

"I'm expecting him home after dinner," she said before he had the chance to even utter a "hello."

"I'll bring 'im as soon as we're done," Jack said. "And I'm really sorry about…"

"See you tonight Bobby, bye," she said and then kissed him on top of the head before she stormed off.

"Bobby, I…" Jack knelt down to talk to him, shaking his head. He didn't know how to tell his son what was happening. "Daddy… ain't gonna be living with Mommy no more."

"I know, Mommy told me," he said. Jack noticed in the quality of his voice that said he didn't quite understand what this would mean for him.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized.

"That's okay, Daddy," he replied. "So you and Mommy won't fight no more?"

"Well… no, probably not," he answered, caught a little off-guard by this question.

"Good," he responded and gave his father a hug. Jack led him into the house and decided to take him upstairs to meet the other kids. While they made their way through the house, Bobby spoke again. "So what's for dinner?"

Jack laughed. "Well, remember that nice lady, Ada, who used to work with Mommy and me?"

"Grandpa said she was a hooker," Bobby said with an innocence that would have made Jack laugh out loud had he not found it so serious.

"Don't call her that, she's real nice," Jack scolded him. "I bet your Grandpa had a few real bad things to say about me too."

"Uh huh," he nodded. "But Mommy said not to listen to anything he said cuz he's just mad."

"Well she's gonna be makin' a real nice dinner for us." By now they were at the head of the stairs. "Do you want to meet Ada's little brothers and sisters?"

Bobby nodded.

He turned to the room on the right, still able to hear the laughter of the girls as they played. Jack was a little surprised to see Ennis there, clearly out of place but enjoying some quality time with the kids he rarely saw anymore.

Jack cleared his throat to make his presence known and everyone turned to see.

"This is my son Bobby," Jack introduced him. He realized, for the first time, that Bobby had never met Ennis or the girls.

They were going to be family now, almost, and they had never met. Jack was sure to introduce them thoroughly. He wished that the girls had been out playing tag and running around, though, instead of sitting around playing with Barbie dolls because as interested as Bobby was to meet them, he was soon bored witless.

But then a small and barely familiar voice spoke from the doorway."I've got trucks," it said. It was Jareth with a couple of model trucks.

"Bobby, this is Ada's little brother Jareth," Jack said.

Bobby ran over and Jareth handed him the little yellow model of a truck and, making motor sounds with their mouths, got to playing.

* * *

Ada finally received a little help with the meal preparations when her father and Bryden got home from their little store on the edge of town.

Every Thanksgiving they manned the shop until five o'clock for the convenience of customers who needed last-minute ingredients and alcoholic beverages. Now, though, it was a major inconvenience to Ada.

Bryden, never much of a cook, got to setting up the table with a clean white tablecloth and a cornucopia and silverware for the eleven diners who would be seated here tonight.

Martin helped his daughter in the kitchen with the last of the vegetables and giving the large turkey a last check to see that it was cooked perfectly.

Soon, everyone was at the dinner table. It was bizarre, at first, for Jack and Ennis to be eating here, together, like a family for the first time with everybody here.

Dinner was amazing, though, thanks to Ada's cooking. Neither Jack nor Ennis had really seen much of Ada all day because she had been working all this time.

But Jack and Ennis's kids ate mostly in silence, taking in plate after plate after plate. Some of it was an approved version of what they were used to at Thanksgiving: turkey, veggies, potatoes and gravy- but a lot of them dishes were traditional Mexican dishes they had never tasted. It was delicious and speaking would only waste their time.

The adults, though, took their time. Between bites they got to know each other better, and by the end of the long meal everyone knew everyone else like old friends.

Ennis discovered after only a few moments of conversation just how perceptive Bryden and his father were. Perhaps, he thought, Jack hadn't been as obvious as Ennis had thought.

And soon dinner was finished. Jack drove Bobby home, trying not to drive any attention to himself, now famous for what he had done. He was back in a jiffy.

As soon as he returned Ennis went to the back porch which looked out into the empty desert past town. Martin had given them an old bottle of bourbon to sip at while they watched the stars.

Ada had already gotten to cleaning up after dinner, gathering the serving dishes and silverware in piles and dishing them into the sink. She knew that Jack and Ennis were sitting out on the porch, relaxing again after their meal. She could hear them laugh again and felt the first twang of jealousy in her chest.

She grabbed a glass and filled it with cold water from the tap. A few gulps and she was able to get rid of the alien feeling. She hated that it was there, but it was, and she couldn't deny that fact.

As she returned to the dining table for the second batch of dishes she thought she was alone but she found out soon that Bryden was at her side helping out.

"Go," he told her when he saw the expression on her face. "I can deal with all of this. Talk to your men," he said and grinned.

"Thanks," she said and gave him a hug before she headed outside to sit with the guys.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked as she opened the screen door and stepped outside.

"Not at all, lil' miss," Ennis said as he scooted away from Jack, dusting the place he had just moved from to make it suitable for Ada to sit there. She took the spot between them, silent.

Ennis handed her the glass bottle. She took a swig as Ennis began speaking to her. "I don' think I'll ever be able to thank you right for all this," he said, staring off into the distance again.

"Me neither," Jack agreed, just as far off as Ennis was. There was a slightly awkward silence as the three of them sat there: Jack, Ada, and Ennis all in a row.

And then she felt a light pressure on her leg and realized that Ennis had placed his hand there. She turned to him just as he leaned over to kiss her gently on the lips.

The kiss ended abruptly and then it was silent again and Ennis was looking back at the place over the horizon he had been so focused on before.

The kiss had surprised Ada and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it just yet. Ennis and Jack seemed to have known that this was coming for a while-planning this in the moments she was inside.

"We figured," Ennis said after another long silence, "that if we're gonna be livin' together, we should be real close." He smiled and then directed his gaze upward.

"I don't know what this'll mean for us," Jack added, "but…" He grew silent, without a clue of what else there was to say.

"Thank you," she said, and then she noticed that the two surrounding them were both staring intensely at the same point in the sky. She matched their gaze and saw Orion, twinkling delicately above them, and knew she was their connecting star.

* * *

_Hope you liked this. Please review if you liked it (or didn't)_

_The epilogue is on its way. (For real this time)_


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